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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.52.1-4.52.3

Capture of Antandrus by Lesbian Exiles

Passage 417 of 917 · Greek

Summary

At the beginning of summer, a solar eclipse and an earthquake occur. Exiles from Lesbos gather forces from the mainland, capture Rhoeteum and Antandrus, and plan to use Antandrus as a base to attack Lesbos and the mainland towns.

§4.52.1τοῦ δ’ ἐπιγιγνομένου θέρους εὐθὺς τοῦ τε ἡλίου ἐκλιπές τι ἐγένετο περὶ νουμηνίαν καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς ἱσταμένου ἔσεισεν.
At the beginning of the following summer, there was a partial eclipse of the sun at the time of the new moon, and in the early part of the same month an earthquake.
§4.52.2καὶ οἱ Μυτιληναίων φυγάδες καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Λεσβίων, ὁρμώμενοι οἱ πολλοὶ ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου καὶ μισθωσάμενοι ἔκ τε Πελοποννήσου ἐπικουρικὸν καὶ αὐτόθεν ξυναγείραντες, αἱροῦσι Ῥοίτειον, καὶ λαβόντες δισχιλίους στατῆρας Φωκαΐτας ἀπέδοσαν πάλιν οὐδὲν ἀδικήσαντες·
Meanwhile the exiles of Mytilene and the rest of Lesbos, starting for the most part from the mainland, and having hired an auxiliary force from the Peloponnese and collected others from the spot, took Rhoeteum; but on receiving two thousand Phocaean staters they restored it again without doing any harm.
§4.52.3καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ Ἄντανδρον στρατεύσαντες προδοσίας γενομένης λαμβάνουσι τὴν πόλιν.
After this they marched against Antandrus and took the city through treachery.
καὶ ἦν αὐτῶν ἡ διάνοια τάς τε ἄλλας πόλεις τὰς Ἀκταίας καλουμένας, ἃς πρότερον Μυτιληναίων νεμομένων Ἀθηναῖοι εἶχον, ἐλευθεροῦν, καὶ πάντων μάλιστα τὴν Ἄντανδρον·
Their plan was to liberate the other towns called the Actaean cities, which the Athenians held but which had formerly been occupied by the Mytilenians, and above all Antandrus.
καὶ κρατυνάμενοι αὐτὴν (ναῦς τε γὰρ εὐπορία ἦν ποιεῖσθαι, αὐτόθεν ξύλων ὑπαρχόντων καὶ τῆς Ἴδης ἐπικειμένης, καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ σκευῇ) ῥᾳδίως ἀπ’ αὐτῆς ὁρμώμενοι τήν τε Λέσβον ἐγγὺς οὖσαν κακώσειν καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ ἠπείρῳ Αἰολικὰ πολίσματα χειρώσεσθαι.
Once they had fortified it (for it was easy to build ships there, since timber was available on the spot and Mount Ida towered over it, and to procure other equipment), they would easily make it their base to harass Lesbos, which was near, and to subdue the Aeolian towns on the mainland.
καὶ οἱ μὲν ταῦτα παρασκευάζεσθαι ἔμελλον.
They, then, were about to make these preparations.

Notes

  1. §4.52.3ἃς πρότερον Μυτιληναίων νεμομένων Ἀθηναῖοι εἶχον — The genitive absolute clause `Μυτιληναίων νεμομένων` describes the past state of the cities referred to by the relative pronoun `ἃς`. It means "which the Athenians were holding, whereas formerly the Mytilenians had possessed (or utilized) them."
  2. §4.52.3ἦν αὐτῶν ἡ διάνοια τάς τε ἄλλας πόλεις ... ἐλευθεροῦν ... κακώσειν καὶ ... χειρώσεσθαι — The present infinitive `ἐλευθεροῦν` acts as the direct complement ("to liberate") of the predicate noun `ἡ διάνοια`, while the subsequent future infinitives `κακώσειν` and `χειρώσεσθαι` are also dependent on `διάνοια`, representing further projected actions that they intended to carry out.
  3. §4.52.3ναῦς τε γὰρ εὐπορία ἦν ποιεῖσθαι ... καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ σκευῇ — In this parenthetical clause, the phrase `εὐπορία ἦν` ("there was facility" / "it was easy") governs both the infinitive phrase `ναῦς ποιεῖσθαι` ("to build ships") and the dative phrase `τῇ ἄλλῃ σκευῇ` ("with respect to other equipment"), where the dative functions as a dative of respect.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.52.1-4.52.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.52.1-4.52.3

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